Dealing with Bangalore’s garbage has been a Herculean task for the government, with contractors, bureaucrats and corporators yet to consider scientific disposal instead of the present trucking arrangements. “Kasa-muktha Bengaluru” launched last year seems to be a distant dream.

It was not very long ago that Bangalore’s sobriquet i.e., ‘Garden City’ nearly came to be replaced with ‘Garbage City’ in the wake of villagers’ refusal to allow garbage trucks to dump the city’s refuse into the nearby landfills. Mounting garbage piles attracted international media’s attention and business honchos began to apprehend serious damage to the city’s reputation as the capital of modern Indian economy.

With the city’s population nearing 10 million, solid waste management (SWM) remains an intractable problem. The city’s per capita solid waste generation is estimated to be around half-a- kilogram. Going by this, the city generates around 5,000 tonnes of garbage every day. The BBMP employs around 14,000 pourakarmikas (or safai karamcharis) to tackle it.

Distant dream

With around 9,000 persons working with the private garbage contractors, the number of workers goes up to around 24,000. Despite considerable advance in collecting and segregating waste at source, nearly 20 per cent of the waste still remains to be picked or is picked irregularly, giving the city a grumpy look. Several households still dump it on empty sites or into gutters which in turn get clogged during rains and cause flooding. In short, Kasa muktha Bengaluru (garbage-free Bangalore) scheme launched on July 24 last year by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah still seems to be a distant dream.

It is more than a decade since new laws were brought in with regard to collection of waste in Bangalore. Under the recommendation of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), door-to-door collection of waste was introduced. (Earlier, street-end waste bins were the norm.)

Secondly, the BBMP introduced segregation of garbage at source by providing four different bins placed over a cart to each waste collector. Two of them were meant for dry waste while another two were to collect wet waste. The collectors are provided uniform, gloves, and masks. The gloves and mask are rarely seen to be used. Several workers find it impractical for continuous use. They are recommended to undergo health check-ups every month. Usually, waste collection is a family occupation. Besides both spouses, even children join the workers soon enough to keep the occupation going in the family.

Practical realities

A huge number of issues come into the picture and lead to the mechanism working ineffectively. To begin with, a worker is supposed to sweep 3/4 of a km of road every morning and collect garbage from two rows of houses, which account for roughly 120 households. The cart is capable of carrying about 100 to 150 kg. of waste. But practically things do not work out that way.

The solid waste processing plant has been closed at Nakravadi site and it is dumping unprocessed waste at the site. Villagers have been protesting against the pollution caused due to the municipal solid wastes.

"The standing committee has approved the proposal to award the contract to Strot Energy -Rochem Separation Systems for solid waste processing and energy generation from it. RMC would provide land with token price of Rs 1 per square metre. It will require only 10 acre land,'' Ajay Bhadoo, municipal commissioner, said.

Bhadoo said that the plant will have capacity of 1.30 lakh metric tonnes of solid waste processing using pyrolysis gasification technology.

"Moreover, RMC will get Rs 8 per metric tonnes of solid waste as royalty. This is a proven technology and it is being implemented in other cities of the country as well. The rejection ratio of this processing technology is just 15 per cent which will go to landfill site,'' Bhadoo added.

RMC officials said that agency would generate power four mega watts per day with processing two tonnes of solid wastes.

The report highlights the need for an integrated approach towards MSW management, stressing reduction and segregation of waste at source and also efficient utilization of various components of the waste.

It emphasizes setting up centralised or decentralised waste processing facilities keeping in view the quantity and quality of waste generated and financial viability of the processing technology.

The report provides guidance for the selection of appropriate technology and clearly indicates technologies that could be adopted by various classes of cities. It emphasizes on converting the combustible waste into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to be used in power plants based on RDF.

The report strongly recommends Public Private Partnership (PPP) as a mode of service delivery to achieve the target set for Sustainable Waste Management. A model scheme has also been detailed for setting up Waste to Energy projects through PPP mode, including a viability gap funding up to 40%.

The task force, headed by K Kasturirangan, has proposed a target of setting up 215 Waste to Energy plants by 2031 to generate 1,075 MW of power and has strongly pitched for setting these up through public-private partnerships (PPPs) with viability gap funding of up to 40 per cent.

The task force, which submitted its report to the Planning Commission on Monday, also calls for an integrated approach towards municipal solid waste management, stressing the need for segregation of waste at source with private sector help.

Since the urban local bodies (ULBs) lack the financial and institutional capacity necessary for integrated management of municipal solid waste, which requires investments, especially for ‘Waste to Energy’ projects, “it is appropriate to transfer the commercial risks to the private sector in order to ensure an efficient system for collection, transportation and processing of waste for generation of electricity,” it says.

Urban India currently generates 170,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste a day. Only 19 per cent of this waste is treated and the rest goes to dump sites causing serious problems to health and environment.

In this backdrop, the report proposes that ‘Waste to Energy’ projects can be set up in cities with population above two million, generating more than 300 tonnes per day or more of combustible waste.

Model scheme

The report proposes a model scheme for such projects and proposes exemption from corporate income-tax for the first five years, immediate refund of value-added tax and a feed-in tariff, which means higher price for renewable energy, among other things.

Taking cue from China, the task force also proposes a ‘tipping fee’ for a private operator who undertakes the responsibility of processing the waste and in the process deriving some useful products to meet part of the cost.

It says the gap (30-50 per cent) between the amount spent by the concessionaire on processing the waste and the income derived from the products, should be partly bridged by payment of tipping fee by the ULBs and the rest by 40 per cent viability gap funding.

Besides this, the report suggests involvement of civil society, resident welfare associations, NGOs etc. to raise community awareness on waste minimisation and also calls for integration of kabadiwalas and ragpickers into the municipal waste management system.

AEB’s Amsterdam is best ‘W to E’ plant

Every day, 600 trucks and a number of freight trains deliver 4,400 tonnes of waste to the plant. Only the waste that is not suitable for ‘reuse’ or ‘recycling’ is incinerated. It produces electricity with a net energy efficiency of 30.6 per cent - the highest in the world. The excess heat generated during combustion is used to provide district heating and hot water. The incinerator ash is recycled to convert into useful products. Out of every 1,000 kg of waste, only 0.5 kg of residual waste remains for which there is no use. This is land filled.

* Why India, Even the USA needs a policy perspective to make Waste To Energy thrive

To maximise the deployment of waste to energy technology, as well as all renewable energy technologies, U.S. federal energy policy must recognise the unique development challenges and long lead times of certain technologies, according to a new report by the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE).

The Outlook for Renewable Energy in America: 2014 report, forecasts industry growth and highlights policy recommendations to advance an American renewable energy economy.

The Outlook assesses the renewable energy marketplace and forecasts the future of each renewable energy technology sector, from the perspectives of each of the associations, and provides a list of policy recommendations by the respective associations that would encourage continued industry growth.

Findings

In the section covering renewable energy from waste, prepared by the Energy Recovery Council, the report said that in the past seven years, six waste to energy facilities have expanded their existing capacity to increase the amount of waste they can process and increase the amount of energy they produce.

In aggregate, these expansions added 2540 tons (2300 tonnes) per day of additional waste capacity and 54 MW of electric capacity, as well as additional steam exports to end users.

The report said that further opportunities to expand existing facilities in the next five years are expected.

Further, ACORE said that the development of greenfield facilities is occurring for the first time since the 1990s. In Florida, Palm Beach County is constructing a new 3000 ton (2700 tonne) per day waste to energy facility which will have an electric generating capacity of 96 MW.

However, the report also noted that development of waste to energy in the U.S. has paled in comparison to the development in Europe and in Asia.

The authors highlighted policies in Europe that are aimed at reducing landfills and have provided economic incentives that led to the widespread adoption of waste to energy and recycling.

U.S. companies engaged in the waste to energy sector have recently invested development dollars in markets overseas that have more favourable renewable policies than found domestically, the report found.

According to ACORE, unless there is a stable and predictable national policy for energy or solid waste, waste to energy development in the United States will not reach its full potential.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) will continue to be generated in vast quantities, the report said. But although waste to energy technology is proven, mature and being continually improved, the market signals in the U.S. are said to be set almost entirely by the lowest cost methods of energy generation and solid waste management. more...

GREEN Engineering for Waste Mangement : A NEW IDEA

Green engineering" is based on the idea of designing, selling and using processes and products that are technically and economically viable while, at the same time, minimizing pollution, as well as health and environmental risks. This is expressed in twelve principles that were formulated nearly a quarter of a century ago by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and which the engineering and research firm Demede Engineering & Technology attempts to apply in all of its work. Its most recent development, a pilot plant for the anaerobic digestion of organic waste that was commissioned by the Universidad de Cadiz, is going to be used for research in the field of biogas production using wastewater, sludge and organic waste from landfills and purification plants.

The system is based on the biological processing that certain bacteria perform in conditions that lack oxygen, which convert organic waste material into a mixture of combustible gasses (carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane). These gasses can be accumulated and later used in the production of heat and electrical energy. "This prototype will serve to optimize the processes that make use of waste material to produce energy and will be a useful instrument for solving the problem of managing potentially toxic wastes in urban, agricultural and livestock areas", explains the company's director of engineering, Javier Roa Fresno.

In order to design this prototype, it was necessary to form a multi-disciplinary team of experts in process and control engineering, mechanical engineering and electronic engineering, among others. For this project, their objective was to design a plant with the greatest operating efficiency, most economical processing, best waste reduction and easiest maintenance. "We have been working on the design o similar equipment for four years and this last project was carried out in approximately six months," state sources from the company, who are currently preparing an offer to provide similar systems to national and international clients; the systems would be for the treatment of agricultural and aquaculture waste, as well as for the treatment of sludge and mud from water purification plants.

The main reactor of this pilot plant consists of a stirred tank reactor in which the temperature and PH are controlled. The way it works is relatively simple: organic systems are continuously introduced and, as the biogas is produced by the metabolism of the microorganisms, the waste that is obtained is extracted through the lower part of the tank. "Since the equipment is used for R D at the university, it includes some additional equipment that makes the process more versatile," comments Javier Roa Fresno. "The ultimate goal is to develop the technology and optimize the processes that lead to energy production on an industrial scale, using organic waste," he concludes.

Nanotechnology and chemistry

The company is exploring new projects in the field of nanotechnology, in collaboration with NanoInnova Technologies, in the search for new products derived from the production and modification of graphene, using sustainable synthetic routes, the development of mechanochemical activation and the use of supercritical CO2. In addition, Demede is also collaborating with Synthelia Organics, in the pharmaceutical field, to develop flow reactors for processes used in the production of medications and other intermediate compounds at high temperatures and under high pressure. In both cases, say the heads of the company, these projects are providing new products in the field of nanotechnology and the chemical industry, which are of high added value, and with the advantage that these products are being produced using new processes that minimize the generation of waste products and energy consumption, while maximizing the productivity and efficiency of old production systems.

The Business Incubator in the UC3M Science Park has supported this company since its birth, giving it access to its facilities and providing it with specialized consulting in the area of innovation. "Thanks to this effort, we have been able to increase our billing, gain market share with new clients and products, and continually add new members to our staff," comment the heads of Demede Engineering & Research. Their staff is made up of engineers (industrial and chemical) and technicians (mechanical and electronic), as well as of students from UC3M who are doing internships and working on their final projects for their degrees.

The 12 principles of green engineering, a code of best practices for design:

Designers need to strive to ensure that all materials and energy inputs and outputs are as inherently nonhazardous as possible.

It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.

Separation and purification operations should be designed to minimize energy consumption and materials use.

Products, processes, and systems should be designed to maximize mass, energy, space, and time efficiency.

Products, processes, and systems should be "output pulled" rather than "input pushed" through the use of energy and materials.

Embedded entropy and complexity must be viewed as an investment when making design choices on recycle, reuse, or beneficial disposition.

Targeted durability, not immortality, should be a design goal.

Design for unnecessary capacity or capability (e.g., "one size fits all") solutions should be considered a design flaw.

Material diversity in multicomponent products should be minimized to promote disassembly and value retention.

Design of products, processes, and systems must include integration and interconnectivity with available energy and materials flows.

Products, processes, and systems should be designed for performance in a commercial "afterlife."

These Ideas must be implemented in India? . Even some of the Ideas Suggested by Satyamev Jayte

With the required closure of the Hilo landfill looming, Hawaii County has officially started to move forward with its next plan for solid waste.

Kenoi

“We have basically 3 options. And it’s trucking to Pu’uanahulu, which nobody wants. It’s expanding the Hilo landfill, which is cost prohibitive and extremely challenging in securing permits. And its a waste reduction technology as the third option.”

That third option was the subject of Mayor Billy Kenoi’s February 4th presentation to the Hawaii County Council Environmental Management Committee.

Kenoi

“If we can take our waste that is currently being land filled and currently costing us over $125 a ton to manage, if we can turn that into a commodity and use it as a source of fuel and energy, now we’re reducing our dependence on fossil fuel, reduce the importation of fossil fuels; we’re creating more energy sustainability at home. Hopefully ultimately we take something that was a burden and turn it into a benefit with the current technology in place in 2014 it would be more environmentally friendly and sound.”

The Big Island has been through this before. In 2008, the council voted to reject a $125 million Wheelabrator waste-to-energy project, leaving the county with no plan for dealing with East Hawaii’s trash. The council will have final say in the current plan, as well.

The Kenoi administration has already issued the first phase request for proposals.

Kenoi

“What we don’t want is, and I will not support or even remotely consider, is a demonstration project that is unproven. Bottom line is what do we want? We want to explore all technologies… But people have to prove to all of you (the council) who will make the ultimate decision in terms of resolution or a contract approval is we want to see that you’ve operated, your proposed technology for a period of 3 years. In the last contract was 2 years. We want to see that you’ve operated and not in some foreign country that doesn’t have strict environmental compliance. Right? We want to see that you have an EPA adherence to strict environmental compliance. We will not be a demonstration project. This beautiful, special island that all of us privileged to call home, will not serve as a guinea pigs for any project, any proposal.”

lhave become a necessity in our daily lives. The wide variety of applications of plastics has made them indispensable but at the same time plastics are non-biodegradable and a source of continuing pollution. Therecycling and harmful issues of plastics have been discussed to death.

However, it is a fallacy. Plastics have changed the way of life - the little bit of hygiene in India can all be attributed to plastics - from hospitals to restaurants to packaging. The problem lies in collection and recycling. Most of the plastics wastes are not recycled in India and it can be seen scattered all over our towns and cities, polluting the surrounding land and water resources. Plastics account for nearly 16% chlorine in the environment and have over 54 carcinogens. Polythene bags for disposal if burnt irresponsibly releases highly toxic gases like phosgene, carbon monoxide, chlorine, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, besides deadly dioxin.

How to extract minerals from waste??

Scarcity of clean water is one of the most serious global challenges. In its spearhead program, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed energy-efficient methods for reuse of water in industrial processes and means for recovering valuable minerals and materials from waste for recycling. Rapid tools were also developed for identification of environmental pollutants.

When water and wastewater systems are developed in a comprehensive manner, it is possible to recover valuable metals and other materials and secure availability of clean water. Cleaning and treatment processes can also be linked to energy production, and the processes and urban structures designed in such a manner that wastewater treatment does not consume energy or cause extra costs.

“Wastewater treatment and waste treatment have mainly been implemented by legal necessity. Now we should modify our way of thinking so that we would be able to regard waste disposal sites and purification plants as sources or raw materials and energy. In the near future, technology has been refined far enough to allow such waste treatment plants to operate on their own," says Mona Arnold, Principal Researcher at VTT.

Recycling valuable minerals and materials

Demand has arisen for technologies capable of recovering even tiny amounts of minerals from waste flows. Recovering them from municipal or mining wastewaters requires better recovery methods than those available today. VTT has developed extraction methods for metals and minerals from waste materials. Biological extraction methods by which metals are recovered from mining, metal and recycling industry waste by utilising microbes and chemical reactions are under testing stages and they are forecasted for market uptake within the next few years.

Other valuable elements can also be found from waste flows. For example, the food industry by-product flows contain biochemicals and proteins that can be utilised better than is currently possible, if only they could be effectively recovered from waste. One possibility is to use enzymes. VTT researchers developed an enzyme-assisted method by which feed products can be produced from side streams deriving from turnip rape processing in food industry. more..

A restaurant in banglore to convert Waste to energy!

Work will begin shortly on a huge plant that produces biogas from waste generated by the city’s restaurant industry. It is expected to be operational in a year and a half.The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is expected to give its approval for the project, at Kannahalli on Magadi Road, in a day or two.Nobel Exchange Environment Solutions, which has set up a plant in Pune, is all set to work on the Bangalore plant.

K S Girish Kumar, general manager (projects) of Noble Exchange, said, “We have written to the Pollution Control Board and addressed their concerns about the water discharge.”The plant plans to transport the discharge to agricultural fields by truck, and will get into an agreement with farmers.KSPCB Chairman Vamanacharya told City Express, “We want to allow such plants. But with this project located next to the Kannahalli lake and surrounded by Kempegowda Layout, our concerns are serious. The plant is expected to generate 135 kilo litres of effluent per day, which, if released into the lake or the surroundings through BWSSB sewer lines, could become a big problem.”

It was only in December last year that the BBMP provided five acres (in the Peenya-Dasarahalli zone) to the Bruhat Bangalore Hoteliers’ Association (BBHA) for setting up this waste-to-biogas converter plant.BBHA President Chandrashekar Hebbar says, “We signed a memorandum with the BBMP. After the sanction of five acres, we have given the project to this company. For transportation, we pay them Rs 0.90 per kg of wet waste and 0.40 per kg of dry waste.”

Noble Exchange has set up similar plants in Satara and Pune where sugar industry waste is being processed to produce gas, manure as well as energy that is used to light up a neighbourhood.Since the plant will handle waste from 1,500-1,700 hotels scattered across the city, Girish Kumar says restaurants and hotesl will be bunched logistically for waste collection.The waste will be transported in odourless, specially designed containers, ensuring that it does not dirty the city.more..

*Innovations in waste to energy :showcased

"The limited availability of land for land-filling and rising public awareness on recycling have stepped up interest in renewable energy sources," says David Copeland, Marketing Director, Sustainability Live. "The European market for WtE in particular is expected to expand at an exponential rate for the next decade, primarily due to the EU's efforts to replace existing landfills with WtE facilities. Furthermore, the private sector is becoming increasingly active in developing WtE projects, a trend that should drive down prices and further accelerate technological development."

The seminar programme at Energy Recovery 2014 includes a number of compelling case studies that will provide visitors with practical insights on how to develop WtE solutions, as well as the options available for turning residual waste into a useable form of energy. One of the highlights at the free-to-attend event is a speaker panel session entitled ‘Resource Revolution: Turning resource efficiency into competitive gain'. It is being chaired by Dustin Benton, head of resource stewardship, Green Alliance, and will feature: Susanne Baker, senior climate and environment policy advisor, EEF (The Manufacturers' Organisation); Dr Liz Goodwin, chief executive, WRAP; Chris Sherwin, head of sustainability, Seymourpowell; and James Walker, head of innovation, Kingfisher Group.

"There will continue to be a much greater focus on turning waste into something useful and recovering it to another format," continues Copeland. "As the industry matures and investment in WtE infrastructure grows, it will be essential for companies and stakeholders to come together to share their experiences and ideas, and ensure that their innovations are aligned with the evolving demands of the energy recovery market."

The Energy Recovery exhibition will showcase over 20 companies and organisations, including Siemens, BSI Group, and the Energy Institute. Meanwhile, the seminar programme will include over 50 leading industry speakers from across the country in two new three-day seminar programmes within Energy Recovery's Energy Theatres.

Energy recovery, co-located with NEMEX and IWEX as part of Sustainability Live from 1st to 3rd April 2014, will welcome over 7,000 attendees, 60 per cent of which influence, specify or authorise their companies purchasing decisions.more..

* 16% of fuel Europe in to come from garbage by 2030?

By 2030, 16 percent of Europe’s road fuel could come from biofuels produced using waste from farming, forestry, municipal garbage collection, and other sources.

All told, agriculture, forestry, and municipal waste produces around 900 million metric tons of possible biofuel feedstock a year. But the researchers estimated only 223 to 225 million metric tons — about a quarter — can be diverted to biofuel use in ways that don’t ultimately add to greenhouse gas emissions. At the current rates at which biomass can be converted into biofuel, that would supply as much as 16 percent of the European Union’s road transportation needs by 2030. (Though in reality, the heating and electricity generating sectors would be competing to use the biofuel as well.) Road transportation is one of the few sectors of the European economy where carbon emissions have risen rapidly in recent years — it’s on track to become the EU’s biggest source of emissions by 2030.

The study considered three different methodologies for turning biomass into fuel: biochemical ethanol, which uses enzymes to break the cellulose down into simple sugars and then converts them into ethanol; FT-diesel, which gasifies the feedstocks and then converts them into diesel or gasoline; and pyrolysis, an alternative form of gasification. It then looked at various wastes — wheat straw from farming, slash residue from forestry, sawdust from the timber industry, and municipal solid waste (MSW) — and found they all avoided anywhere from 60 to almost 300 percent of fossil fuels’ greenhouse gas emissions.

The advantage of making these sorts of cellulosic and advanced biofuels from waste material is two-fold. One, the biofuels don’t compete with food crops and thus don’t drive up food prices. Two, by relying on waste, they don’t really increase demand for agriculture and other economic activities that drive up carbon emissions.

Another advantage of the study was it looked at the full life cycle and trade-offs involved in using these feedstocks. For example, some forestry residue needs to be left behind, because it returns nutrients to the soil and sustains future forestry growth. And in many climates, the residue decomposes slowly enough to act as a carbon sink. As a result, the researchers concluded that no more than 50 percent of forestry waste should be diverted to biofuel use, in order to maximize the amount of carbon that’s kept out of the atmosphere.

Waste from agriculture is susceptible to much of the same logic, since nutrients need to be returned to the soil to avoid reliance on fertilizers, and because much of the waste is already put to alternative uses.

Much of municipal solid waste is already recycled in Europe, and the researchers concluded the recycling was more valuable than the waste’s raw energy content. But that still leaves around 6 million metric tons of available wood waste per year, and 44 million metric tons of cellulosic household waste. Importantly, converting municipal waste into biofuel avoids dumping it in landfills, which produces methane — a potent greenhouse gas — as the waste decomposes. That’s why use of MSW for biofuel avoids such a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Account for all those limits, and you arrive at the study’s estimation that about a quarter of the EUs’ annual waste can be used sustainably for biofuel production. Courtesy

*Old fruits and vegetables and fruits from schools and homes to be used to heat homes: NYC

Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway announced at a press conference Thursday the city's approval of a plan to convert organic waste and wastewater from schools and as many as 100,000 homes into a biogas that is mostly methane, which is already being used to power thousands of homes in the city.

JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES

Organice waste from schools and homes, such as old fruits and vegetables, will be converted to house-heating energy through a program introduced by the city on Thursday.

The city's new scheme for getting rid of food waste is a gas, gas, gas.

It works like this: Collect banana peels, apple cores and other organic waste from city public schools and haul them to the Waste Management garbage treatment facility in Williamsburg to be turned into a soupy bio-slurry.

Ship that to the nearby Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Greenpoint and mix it with wastewater sludge to create a biogas that is mostly methane, the main component of natural gas.

day."

MARTIN POOLE/GETTY IMAGES

Spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006, Cambrian Innovation is commercializing a portfolio of environmental solutions based on newly discovered electrically active microbes. By harnessing the power of bio-electricity and advances in electrochemistry, Cambrian Innovation's products help industrial, agricultural and government customers save money while recovering clean water and clean energy from wastewater streams.With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), engineers and co-founders Matt Silver and Justin Buck are bringing their research from the lab to the market. One system, called EcoVolt, generates methane gas from the wastewater by leveraging what is called "electromethanogenesis." It's a newly discovered process for producing methane."NSF funding of Cambrian Innovation's research demonstrates our strong interest in supporting small business innovation that leads to novel and greener technological solutions to societal challenges," says NSF program director Prakash Balan.The EcoVolt system sends wastewater through a bio-electrochemical reactor. As water filters through it, special bacteria in the reactor eat the organic waste in the water and release electrons as a byproduct. Those electrons travel through a circuit to generate methane, or CH4.more...

* KARNATAKA GOVT TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODELS FOR HANDLING DISPOSALS AND E WASTE

The Karnataka government has indicated that it would support developing sustainable business models for handling as well as dsposal of electronic waste(e-waste), which if of late recognized as a major problem.

"Thee state government is keen to work with all stake holders to develop an ecosystem that is business friendly and also helps to generate wealth through e-waste," N Sivasailam, principal secretary, department of forest, ecology and environment, said while inaugurating a seminar on e-waste organized by Assocham in Bangalore. more..

* INDIA 'S FIRST COMMERCIAL WASTE TO ENERGY UNIT BY JINDAL

Having processed a million tonnes of garbage since January 2012 in Timarpur in the Okhla area of New Delhi and generated useful electricity, Jindal ITF has set its eyes on replicating the model in other cities.

Efforts are on to take up initiatives in Punjab.

“We have identified two places and are discussing with the State Government for tying up land and continued supply of solid wastes,” said Abha Negi, spokesperson of the company.

Jindal ITF, part of the Rs 7,500-crore listed Jindal SAW, has sourced German technology to efficiently get rid of as much of the city’s solid waste as possible and in the bargain come up with some energy.

In the case of the Timarpur Okhla solid waste management plant, a daily processing of 1,300 tonnes of solid waste is on. Since January last year, 190 million units of electricity have been generated and 158 million units supplied to the national grid, Negi toldBusiness Linehere recently.more..

UCR engineers showcased an energy conversion system at the UC’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), which can turn agricultural or human waste into a form of clean energy. The system uses a process called “steam hydro-gasification,” which cleanly burns the waste in a pressurized reactor at nearly 1,400 degrees.

Through the , system, carbon-based materials, such as garden clippings and animal manure are converted into methane, which can then be turned into liquid fuel or electricity.

“This is California technology solving a California problem to eliminate California waste,” Joe Norbeck, a UCR emeritus professor and one of the inventors of the technology, said in a media release.

The energy conversion system is part of an ongoing, decade-long initiative to save millions of dollars and reduce air and water pollution in the state, which annually generates about83 million dry tons of biomass waste. The waste is then burned or sent to a landfill, which can cause both air and water pollution. more..

Waste disposal is the bane of many a new-age city, and bustling metros such as Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are no exception.

The problem does not entirely lie with garbage collection agencies, who are doing their best to lift all the refuse. Rather, the thousands of tonnes of solid and liquid waste generated every day by the gargantuan population of these thriving Indian cities pose the conundrum with respect to waste disposal: where will it all go?

One proposed solution has been incineration of the waste to make it more compact and manageable. Burning of waste can reduce the volume by up to 90 per cent. Energy can also be generated as a useful by-product of the process.more..

*FIRST HUMAN WASTE POWERED DATA CENTER

The concept India should pick up fast and use it for energy generation.With such a large population this will be another demographic dividend

United Utilities is investing £10m in the UK’s first human waste-powered data centre, based at its Davyhulme sewage plant.The treatment plant currently generates enough biogas to power the equivalent of 9,000 homes. It creates enough energy to make the sewage plant completely self-sufficient.

United Utlities came up with the data centre plan after realising there will still enough power being generated from human waste to sustain the facility.They awarded a £3.2m contract to Sudlows to design the 80-cabinet complex. Sudlows currently delivers data and communications infrastructure projects on behalf of the north-west water provider.

Andy Hirst, global director for Sudlows, commented: "This new data centre will provide United Utilities with a highly advanced energy efficient facility to support their group wide services and deliver further resilience to their operational functions."more..

*INDIA IS ALL SET TO CONVERT TRASH TO TREASURE

India is all set to convert its trash to treasure as it gears up, albeit a bit slowly, to strengthen its waste-to-energy sector and boost recycling and reuse – with one expert estimating the annual earnings from biofuel alone at Rs.50,000 crore ($11 billion).

Aiding India’s transition to green technology are a host of European and American consultants with economically viable and eco-friendly solutions.

“There will be three-fold benefits in terms of environment protection, economy and optimising use of space,” Amiya Kumar Sahu, president of the National Solid Waste Association of India, told IANS at the recently concluded IFAT here – India’s leading trade fair for water, sewage, refuse and recycling. more..

* INNOVATIVE WASTE TO ENERGY PROGRAM HAS LEAD SWEDEN RUN OUT OF RUBBISH

Due to Sweden’s innovative waste-to-energy program and the highly efficient recycling habits of its people, this Scandinavian nation faces an interesting dilemma. They have run out of trash.

The country’s waste management and recycling programs are second to none as only four percent of the nation’s waste ends up in landfills.

By contrast, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, over half of the waste produced by American households ends up in landfills and things are not better in Britain either. To add to that the fact that many things that are collected in kerbside recycling also end up in the same place as there are no means to recycle them, there is a glut in the market for recyclables or they are “contaminated” and thus cannot be (easily) recycled.

Because Sweden manages waste so effectively and then use what remains to partly power their country, they are now living an environmentalist’s dream; a shortage of garbage. Can you believe that?

However, environmentalists in Britain demand that our waste be recycled and not burned. But Friends of the Earth and other groups say that we must learn to recycle the materials that invariably remain ‘un-recyclable’ via current process. For environmental reasons, incineration must not be done, they say. And now Sweden is showing the world how it can be done.

In order to continue fueling the waste-to-energy factories that provide electricity to a quarter of a million homes and 20% of the entire country’s district heating, Sweden is now resorting to importing trash from the landfills of other European countries.

In fact, those countries are paying Sweden to do so. Yes, you read that correctly, countries are paying to get rid of a source of viable fuel they themselves produced so that Sweden can continue to have the energy output they need. Instead they could be utilising the same waste as an energy source at home. This is madness, if you ask me.MORE.

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* WASTE TO ENERGY TO TOUCH $29 BILLION DOLLAR BY 2016

Currently, the installation of new waste to energy plants is increasing in regions with the highest population density and limited area, such as Western Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. At the same time, regions with developed economies and an existing installed base of waste to energy plants are expected to create vast modernization opportunities by 2016.

“Landfilling of waste is no longer the economically sound process that it used to be a few years ago. Gate fees have risen considerably, leading market participants to explore competitive solutions," said Frost & Sullivan research analyst Monika Chrusciak, who conducted the podcast. "WTE plants provide a waste treatment solutions which shift from limited recycling value to recycling with energy recovery. Successful operation of WTE plant relies on internal WTE plant economies, understanding of local conditions and also on an innovative business model."

In an effort aimed at processing degradable waste and also generating power, the Coimbatore Corporation has mooted a proposal to generate power from waste obtained from vegetable markets in the city.

A resolution adopted at the Corporation’s Urgent Council meeting on Thursday said that through the biomethanation process the Corporation would built waste-to-energy plants of various capacities — depending on the quantity of waste generated, which could vary from three to 10 tonnes.

The Corporation would build the plants with its fund or go in for public private partnerships to construct the plants.

On a pilot basis, the Corporation would build the first plant at the proposed vegetable market in Kavundampalayam.

After estimating the quantity of garbage generated at five tonnes, the Corporation had proposed to construct a bio-methanation-cum-power generation plant. It had floated an e-tender on July 18, 2013. As there was only one bidder, the Corporation was forced to cancel the tender and float a second on September 18. The second attempt saw bids from two players. Of those, the Corporation’s tender scrutiny committee had decided to award the tender to a Pune-based engineering company which that quoted Rs. 89 lakh for the construction of the plant and Rs. 72 lakh for a seven-year maintenance period.more..

* India behind in turning waste to energyEchoing the statements of Union Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner M K Shankarlingegowda reiterated that the country still lacked an efficient waste to energy conversion plant.

He was speaking at the valedictory of the third international conference on solid waste management ‘ICONSWM-2012’ at the N R Narayana Murthy Centre of Excellence here on Wednesday.

However, he said that Bangalore was planning to set-up an 8 MW plant within the next three months, which would convert waste into electricity. Being the first of its kind, he said it would help do away with nearly 4000 metric tonnes of garbage generated per day in the state capital.

Mentioning other initiatives taken by BBMP, Shankarlingegowda said Rs 550 would be spent on management of waste, of which Rs 250 crore is for taking garbage out of Bangalore. The remaining amount is being spent on garbage collection. He also said that the next edition of international conference on solid waste management would be held in Bangalore in 2013.

Former additional chief secretary and KUIDFC chairman B A Coutinho said that there was need to conduct an isotope study to understand the damage caused to groundwater due to the dumping of waste.

Observing that there were no estimates on effects of waste, he said unless such an estimate is known, it would be difficult to have an effective plan. source. 10/8/12*

Waste to Energy

Any organic waste from urban and rural areas, and industries, is an energy resource. Wastes hold the potential to create renewable energy through the adoption of waste-to-energy technologies.

In the context of energy generation, waste can be broadly classified into municipal solid waste, sewage waste, industrial waste and agro/crop waste. Each of these waste feedstocks have different characteristics and present varying potential and challenges for energy generation.

Total available potential of waste to energy in india

There exists a potential for generating an estimated 1500 MW from municipal solid waste, and about 225 MW from sewage waste. A further 1050 MW of energy could be recovered from industrial wastes. Potential for agro waste is traditionally included under biomass power potential.

Exploited potential of waste to energy in india

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) estimates indicate that India has so far realized only 2% of its waste-to-energy potential.

Over 35 waste-to-energy projects have been completed as of 2010, with an aggregated grid connected installed capacity of over 94 MW (Aug 2012)

Projected capacity of waste to energy in india

There are no reliable estimates for projected capacity addition for waste to energy projects.

Government incentives for waste to energy in india

The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) has been promoting waste to energy plants – refuse derived fuel, biomethanation, biogas, and gasification. The subsidy is in the range of Rs. 1.5 crores to Rs. 3.9 crores per MW, depending on the processes and feedstocks used.

Investments in waste to energy in india

Investments have been made into waste-to-energy projects to aggregate a total installed capacity of 200 MW including both grid connected and off grid (Aug 2012)

Challenges for waste to energy in india

üLack of segregation is a key challenge for municipal solid waste to energy efforts.

üWaste to energy is a poorly understood topic, because there are many different types of waste and many different energy conversion processes for each type of waste.

üLack of institutional and financial capability

üLack of viable business models in the sector,

üSome of the technology options proposed are not yet proven, either technically or economically

üHigh capital costs

Cost of power generation for waste to energy in india

Depending on the technology and processes used, waste to energy projects cost between Rs 9-13 crores per MW.

If one factors government incentives, the cost of generating power from waste varies between Rs 3.5 per kWh and Rs 6 per kWh.

Waste to Energy – Potential for short and medium term growth: Medium

‘NISARGA RUNA’

The ‘Zero Perishable Garbage Plant’

1.0 PREFACE

2.0 The PROCESS

3.0 Schematic Diagram

4.0 SPACE Requirement

5.0 BYE – PRODUCTS

6.0 The ECONOMICS

By: M/s INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING PRODUCTS

F-504, Shree Ram Bhawan, opposite St. Jude’s High School,

Marve Road, Malwani No.1, Malad (west), Mumbai-400 095

Phone: Tele-fax: 28643555 / Cell-Phone: 9819865683

E-mail: mspalnitkar@yahoo.com

There are a number of other new and emerging technologies that are able to produce energy from waste and other fuels without direct combustion. Many of these technologies have the potential to produce more electric power from the same amount of fuel than would be possible by direct combustion. This is mainly due to the separation of corrosive components (ash) from the converted fuel, thereby allowing higher combustion temperatures in e.g. boilers, gas turbines, internal combustion engines, fuel cells. Some are able to efficiently convert the energy into liquid or gaseous fuels:

Modern life pattern and urbanization has brought in specific problems with system.

High congestion in cities and industrial life has led to problems of garbage disposal of huge amounts of Biodegradable and non-biodegradable type. Ever increasing Load of population in metros has left no plots within 100 kms to be used as dump sites and beyond it becomes uneconomical to transport the waste. Municipalities and metropolitan councils are faced with the problem of safe dumpsites for total solid garbage, which basically comprises 50% degradable and 50% non-degradable garbage. We notice garbage lying uncollected or left in open public places and pushed through gutters ultimately choking the drainage system. At times people tend to put fire to solid waste, which contains plastics also and releases toxic and poisonous gases in atmosphere, thereby causing unwanted air pollution and health hazards. The garbage may find its way in water sources like lakes, ponds or small water streams leading to water pollution. The problem of garbage disposal in safe and natural way has become very difficult.

To our good luck the hard work of scientists at BARC appears to be bearing fruits and a demonstration plant shows ray of hope to get very close to the elimination of Bio Degradable Garbage in most natural form i.e. through microbial decomposition.

A process has been developed which uses aerobic and anaerobic digestion using thermophilic bacteria. These microorganisms at suitable high temperature achieve the digestion in a pre-digester, which further leads to anaerobic digestion in conventional way. The plant demonstrated by BARC at its Training School Hostel Anushaktinagar Mumbai-400 085 uses mainly canteen food waste from Training school hostel and nearby canteen and waste from vegetable markets in the colony. The capacity of the Plant is

2-1/2 tones of biodegradable waste per day.

The process of waste decomposition demands that waste be segregated as perishable or green garbage and non-perishable that containing glass, ceramics, plastics and metallic pieces. Non-perishable garbage may be treated separately through conventional recycling of the items. Perishable garbage will be treated by ‘NISARGA RUNA’ (nature’s debt)

Plant using aerobic and anaerobic route of decomposition.

The plant can be installed in the population zone as it does not generate bed smell or dirty view of garbage littered.

The other routes of garbage disposal e.g. vermi-culture or anaerobic composting pose public health problems whereas the current Nisarga Runa plant presents the best acceptable economic & eco-friendly option.

At the end of the process we get Biogas i.e. methane (60% to 70%) and organic manure, which is rich soil conditioner displaying high NPK values.

Yield of 40 cubic meters of gas per tone of waste processed per day definitely gives an alternate and renewable source of energy sufficient to cook food for 240 people per day.

Organic manure of approximately 8% of waste weight processed promises rejuvenation of barren lands. The results of this fertilizer are amazing the use restores the fertility of land, lost due to heavy chemical fertilizer dosing. If adopted by Gram panchayats Zila Parishads and municipalities alike the day is not far when we can realize the dream of beautiful villages and clean cities. The need of the day is to adopt the system in all the habitats with suitable capacities depending on population of the area concerned.

2.0PROCESS:

The Project ‘Zero Perishable Garbage’ goes through following steps:

2.1Segregation of biodegradable and non- biodegradable garbage at the source

Biodegradable: The green leaves, kitchen waste, vegetable market waste excluding coconut shell and eggshell can be called as biodegradable. Human and animal excreta are not included here as the same can be directed to anaerobic digester pit without having to go through aerobic stage.

Biodegradable waste as described passes through mixer cum chopper so that the waste is cut into small pieces making it amenable to better digestion through microbial action and led to pre-digester. In pre-digester tank it is subjected to thermophilic bacterial action in presence of hot water (50 to 55 degrees Celsius). Aeration of the tank is needed with proper sealing so that foul smell is avoided. Aerobic digestion takes about 72 to 96 hours and then slurry passes to anaerobic digester where anaerobic bacteria cause methanation resulting in generation of bio gas mainly methane. In this section a floating tank holds the generated gas. From digester the slurry passes to soak pits or manure pits after a lapse of about180 to 192 hours. The black organic manure, approx. 8% by wt. Of degradable waste charged, starts coming out after about twenty days of total time from the date of first charge.

3.0Schematic Diagram: (will be given to those who want to install the plant)

In Indian context urban Indian generates about 100 gms to 250 gms bio degradable waste per day per person in cities. A population node of around 25000 to 30000 people will support 5000kgs per day plant.

10000 to 25,000 people will support 2,500 kgs plant similarly around 5500 to 8,000 people may support 1000 kgs per day plant.

5.0Bye Products:

5.1Blue Flame Gas or methane gas of 60% to 70% purity is obtained through this process. Yield expected in the range of 20 to 25 cubic meters per metric ton of biodegradable waste. Yield may go up to 50 cubic meters for only food waste.

Gas collected in the floating tank can be used in any household kitchen or canteen kitchen for cooking food. Gas may also be used for heating water for the plant itself thereby saving external power. Gas generated can be used in duel fuel engines, which can run as a prime mover for lift irrigation, or electricity generation. Even Gas lanterns can illuminate area of the plant.

5.2 Good quality soil conditioner i.e. rich organic manure comes out at the soak pits after 20 to 30 days of initial operation of the plant. 8% of waste used gets converted to rich organic manure. It works as a tonic for soil. Manure yield Approx. 80 kgs per metric ton of waste processed per day.

The technology is based on the relatively new science of electro-microbiology that is finding uses for the discovery that certain microbes can generate an electrical current outside their own cells.

In the context of sewage treatment, they would purify waste water by consuming the organic matter in it and use that energy to generate a current that can be harvested and stored.

Co-author of the research, published in the U.S. journal Science, Bruce Logan of Pennsylvania State University, compared the process he is developing to the movie The Matrix, where humans are hooked up to machines to provide electrical power.

"In our article we describe a process which is somewhat like that but what we do is use certain micro-organisms which can be connected to devices to generate an electrical current that can be used to generate power," Logan said.

An estimated 3 percent of the electricity generated in the United States is used to run waste water treatment plants and at least 5 percent goes into the whole water infrastructure, said Logan, adding: "That's clearly not sustainable."

Logan says the technique, still in its infancy, has sparked interest from companies including Siemens and General Electric, as well as a number of small startup firms.

There are some major hurdles, including the high cost of making the devices needed and improving their efficiency and power capacity.

"Right now it's a bit expensive," Logan said.

"What we really need to do is get the cost of the materials down and start putting the technology out into practice and that takes other things than just science and engineering. It takes political will and funding."

The same technique could see microbes used to generate biofuels, hydrogen gas, methane and other valuable chemicals from the cheap and abundant product of our trips to the bathroom, say Logan and fellow researcher Korneel Rabaey from the University of Ghent in Belgium.

Global warming, shortage of coal and petroleum products has forced industry to look at other alternate source of energy.Biomass ranks top on the list of choice.

With the demand for non-renewable sources increasing, the biofuelsbusiness is opening new opportunities for entrepreneurs. Several countries, including India, have started attending to biofuels to counter pollution and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. The businesspotential of biofuels for entrepreneurship activities in India is huge, and can be expected to grow at a faster pace in the years to come.

According to Dr Alok Adholeya, director, biotechnology & management of bioresources, TERI, “currently almost 70 per cent of India’s crude oil requirement is imported, which is expected to increase to 90 per cent by 2030.” According to Aswathi Muralidharan in an article, “Opportunities in biofuels,” this massive dependence on imports coupled with the price volatility of oil, which has been fluctuating from the current $40 a barrel to $147 a barrel in the recent past, may lead to biofuels playing an important role in reducing our dependence on imports in future.

In this regard, our National Biofuels Policy mandates 20 per cent of all diesel and petrol demand to be met by using plant-based rather than fossil-based diesel by 2017. According to Deepak Desai of Business Brains Consultants, at present, India’s biofuel production is not even enough to cater to 5 per cent of the demand. Still, India has been the fourth largest producer of ethanol, after the US, Brazil, and China, it being mainly used for the manufacture of beverages. This usage has been a major barrier in producing fuel-grade ethanol. However, keeping in mind the government mandate and the demand it is likely to create, there is ample opportunity for entrepreneurs in entering this sector of economy.

According to Muralidharan, in addition to bioenthanol, biodiesel can be produced from both oilseed crops, such as sunflower and soybeans, and animal fat. However, Jatropha is the preferred feedstock for production of biodiesel in India, especially because it is non-edible and has a smaller gestation period of two to three years, compared to other plants. Still, the supply of biodiesel in India is not present in large quantities, as the potential of Jatropha has recently been realized. However, this potential provides vast number of entrepreneurial opportunities to our farmers as well as agriculturalists.

Second, according to Muralidharan, algae as a source of biodiesel also appear as promising for entrepreneurial activities. That is because the use of oilseeds is a temporary phase that will be good for over a decade or two. After this, finding land to grow oilseeds for biodiesel will be a problem. According to Dr Adholeya, one can then get into the production of second- and third-generation biofuels, which includes algae. Also, producing biodiesel from algae has a secondary benefit: algae consume carbon dioxide as a nutrient. Thus, algae-based biodiesel production also helps to reduce carbon emissions and solve the global-warming challenge.

Furthermore, according to Muralidharan, technology is one significant barrier that an entrepreneur is likely to face while entering these entrepreneurship opportunities. The biofuels technology area is very complex, and hence focus on viable and innovative technology becomes imperative for any entrepreneur. According to Shashank Inamdar, MD & CEO, Praj Industries, “the key lies in structuring the business model to integrate the supply chain — right from feedstock to securing contract for end-products and adoption of futuristic technologies.”

Muralidharan also believes that another entry barrier is proof of performance. Most biofuel plants need customisation as they have several variables in their performance. Hence, according to Inamdar, it is essential that the entrepreneur has vast experience, data bank, and references at his disposal for these entrepreneurship opportunities to be fully exploited.

Finally, the role of educational institutions in promoting entrepreneurship activities in the renewable energy area cannot be neglected. IIT Kharagpur has been working on bioenergy research for several decades now and recently launched the PK Sinha Centre for BioEnergy (PKSCB). The PKSCB in its endeavour to promote bioenergy is harnessing the potential of young minds and encouraging entrepreneurship in this direction. In this regard, the young IITians are working toward the development and betterment of the rural masses. IIT Kharagpur has the unique advantage of deploying this skill to enhance the life of these rural masses along with promoting entrepreneurship. PKSCB is currently exploring ways to adopt a few villages around the campus in order to help make them self-sufficient and sustainable energy-wise, which is likely to be a boon for the local economy, in general.http://wrd.mydigitalfc.com/entrepreneurship/opportunities-galore-entrepreneurs-biofuels-911

Lt. Col. Suresh Rege

Chairman, Mailhem Engineers

Expertise Area:Waste to Energy

Lt. Col. Suresh Rege represents the new face of India – from serving in the Indian Army, he has now built a pioneering waste to energy company. His company today offers simple but innovative solutions for municipal solid waste to energy.

Insights and Perspectives on:Use of Biomethanation for Recovering Energy from Municipal Solid Waste

Lt. Col. Suresh Rege is the founder and chairman of Mailhem Engineers Pvt. Ltd., which has grown under his leadership to become a leading name in the field of Biomethanation and waste management industry. He has been instrumental in diversification of Mailhem Engineers to offer Municipal Solid Waste Management solutions for municipal corporations and residential townships across the country.

Mr. Suresh also served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IL & FS Waste Management & Urban Services Ltd where he was involved in re-engineering of non-functional compost plants. He is a member of the advisory committee formed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, for policy formation.

Lt. Col. Suresh Rege graduated from The National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1969 where he had a prestigious tenure of 20 years in various capacities.

With the vision of providing innovative and cost effective waste management solutions and to derive value out of waste, Pune-based Mailhem Engineers is developing technologies and installing Municipal Solid Waste and Sewage Treatment plants across India. The company has installed more than 250 waste treatment plants so far.

Mailhem has an in-house R & D, which has developed the unique high-rate biomethanation technology for the processing of mixed waste. The company has also developed the innovative “Mailhem Ready to Install Portable Organic Waste Treatment Plant”.

Telit Wireless Solutions, a leading global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) modules and services, today announced that its M2M modules will enable connectivity for solar compactors and waste receptacles operated by BigBelly Solar, a leading global provider of innovative and sustainable solutions for the management of waste and recycling.

BigBelly Solar enables its customers to become more environmentally sustainable through its powerful management console, software-enabled network command center and family of mix and match waste and recycling stations. With connected intelligence enabled by Telit’s GE864-QUAD V2 module, BigBelly Solar’s toolkit enables municipalities, colleges & universities, government facilities and other institutional customers to reduce the operating costs associated with waste collection by 80 percent. more27/6/12

The Waltham-based company uses technology that essentially mimics the inner workings of a cow. Organic waste such as food scraps and lawn trimmings are put through anaerobic digesters, a clean technology process of composting without oxygen. This produces biogas, which can be converted into electricity, liquefied or compressed natural gas. It also produces fertilizer, mulch and other compost products.

Harvest Power works with municipalities and others that generate waste to manage its disposal. The company then sells electricity to utility companies and fertilizer to farmers and gardeners. more

* What a Waste: A global review of solid waste management

As the world hurtles toward its urban future, the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW), one of the most important by-products of an urban lifestyle, is growing even faster than the rate of urbanization. Ten years ago there were 2.9 billion urban residents who generated about 0.64 kg of MSW per person per day (0.68 billion tonnes per year).

This report estimates that today these amounts have increased to about 3 billion residents generating 1.2 kg per person per day (1.3 billion tonnes per year). By 2025 this will likely increase to 4.3 billion urban residents generating about 1.42 kg/capita/day of municipal solid waste (2.2 billion tonnes per year).

* Proprietary Carbon Engineering™ PlatformKiverdi is a company to watchout for in the Waste to energy scenario.Kiverdi’s proprietary technology produces sustainable oils from gasified waste and waste carbon at a fraction of the cost of chemical catalysts. Our proprietary high-yield microbes produce high quantities of oils from waste carbon resources, demonstrating a process that surpasses chemical catalysts in capital efficiency and product selectivity. With our cutting-edge Carbon Engineering™ platform, we apply advanced biotechnology and carbon engineering tools to our high-yield microbes to tailor oils to match different applications – from consumer chemicals to jet fuel. more

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Profile

DBSSR Sastry

Mr. DBSSR Sastry is the General Manager at the Solid Waste Management Division of Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. His rich experience and comprehensive knowledge has been a driving factor for the company which has been instrumental in implementing several key projects in the country.

Insights and Perspectives on:Trends in municipal solid waste management and MSW to energy

Mr. DBSSR Sastry is the General Manager in the solid waste management division of Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd, where he leads the waste to energy projects of the company.

Mr. Sastry has more than a decade experience in solid waste management sector and was involved in the concept to commissioning of India’s first RDF based power plant in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

Prior to Ramky, he has worked in chemical process industries, specialty chemicals and bulk drug industry for 15 years in various capacities in projects, operations and environment services.

Mr. Sastry is a graduate in Chemical Technology from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam and a post-graduate in Environment Management from JNTU.

Contribution in prominent events:

RENERGY 2012, 1st International Brainstorming Workshop on Waste to Energy in India

About the Company:

Ramky, founded in 1994, works mainly in the areas of Infrastructure, Environment & Waste management. The company works to deliver world-class solutions in Construction, Infrastructure Development, Environment Management, Waste Management, Real Estate, Infrastructure Consultancy, Pharma manufacturing, Finance and Investment.

The group has been instrumental in establishing some of the first integrated facilities in Common Hazardous Waste Management, Biomedical Waste Management and Integrated Municipal Waste Management facilities in India.

Ramky is involved in setting up waste to energy facilities across the country.

* KOCHI: The search for efficient solutions to the issue of garbage disposal has taken the civic administrators to the other states. A team consisting of the Mayors of Kochi, Kollam and Thrissur Corporations is on a visit to the ‘Waste-to-Energy’ plants in Pune. The team visited the solid waste treatment plant set up at Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation on Thursday. The team also comprises the chairpersons of health standing committees and corporation secretaries.

The waste has become a big menace in India.

“We have visited the plant as per the instructions by the Local Self-Government Department. The trip has been organised by the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP). ‘Waste to Energy’ plant, which uses the technology to convert garbage into energy and fuel is one of the options being considered by Kochi Corporation,” said T K Ashraf, chairperson, Kochi Corporation Health Standing Committee, and a member of the visiting team.

A corporation taking so much effort to go around the country - identifying the projects done by others so that they can adapt is a great act. Kudos to the Kochi team.

He added that the visiting team held discussions with the Pune Municipal Corporation authorities on the technology being used for managing the waste generated in the city.

“They said that more than 500 metric tonnes of waste is generated in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the twin cities, everyday. They resolved the waste menace by setting up the ‘Waste-to-Energy’ plant with the help of a Mumbai-based firm. The technology also helped them in producing crude oil out of the waste,” he added.

On Friday, the team will visit the Timarpur-Okhla Municipal Solid Waste Management Plant, which is a private-public partnership project of the Jindal ITF Ecoplis and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The plant is producing nearly 16 MW of electricity per day.

“We have heard that the electricity produced in the plant is enough to serve six lakh homes. We will visit the plant and will look into the feasibility of similar facility in Kochi,” he added.

12/6/12--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Definitions of Municipal Solid WasteBy OECD: Municipal waste is collected and treated by, or for municipalities. It covers waste from households, including bulky waste, similar waste from commerce and trade, office buildings, institutions and small businesses, yard and garden, street sweepings, contents of litter containers, and market cleansing. Waste from municipal sewage networks and treatment, as well as municipal construction and demolition is excluded.By PAHO: Solid or semi-solid waste generated in population centers including domestic and, commercial wastes, as well as those originated by the small-scale industries and institutions (including hospital and clinics); market street sweeping, and from public cleansing.By IPCC: The IPCC includes the following in MSW: food waste; garden (yard) and park waste; paper and cardboard; wood; textiles; nappies (disposable diapers); rubber and leather; plastics; metal; glass (and pottery and china); and other (e.g., ash, dirt, dust, soil, electronic waste).

Global Waste Management PracticesAt a Glance:` In solid waste management there is no throwing ‘away’.` The organic fraction of waste, collection vehicles, and waste disposal methods contribute to GHG emissions.` The last two decades have brought a new challenge for waste management: the growing vagaries of global secondary materials markets.

Waste GenerationAt a Glance:` MSW generation levels are expected to double by 2025.` The higher the income level and rate of urbanization, the greater the amount of solid waste produced. ` OECD countries produce almost half of the world’s waste, while Africa and South Asia regions produce the least waste

Waste CollectionAt a Glance:` MSW collection is an important aspect in maintaining public health in cities around the world.` The amount of MSW collected varies widely by region and income level; collection within cities can also differ greatly.` Collection rates range from a low of 41% in low-income countries to a high of 98% in high-income countries.Waste CompositionAt a Glance:` Waste composition is influenced by factors such as culture, economic development, climate, and energy sources; composition impacts how often waste is collected and how it is disposed.` Low-income countries have the highest proportion of organic waste.` Paper, plastics, and other inorganic materials make up the highest proportion of MSW in highincome countries.` By region, EAP has the highest proportion of organic waste at 62%, while OECD countries have the least at 27%, although total amount of organic waste is still highest in OECD countries.` Although waste composition is usually provided by weight, as a country’s affluence increases, waste volumes tend to be more important, especially with regard to collection: organics and inerts generally decrease in relative terms, while increasing paper and plastic increases overall waste volumes.Waste DisposalAt a Glance:` Landfilling and thermal treatment of waste are the most common methods of MSW disposal in high-income countries.` Although quantitative data is not readily available, most low- and lower middle-income countries dispose of their waste in open dumps.` Several middle-income countries have poorly operated landfills; disposal should likely be classified as controlled dumping.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=================================================================Profile

Suman Chahar

Chairperson, SIAESPH

Expertise Area:Environment and waste management

Dr. Suman Chahar, Chairperson for International Academy of Environmental Sanitation and Public Health, has been involved with the Sulabh Sanitation Movement for over two decades in various capacities. Her contributions have been acclaimed by the international organizations such as UNICEF and WHO.

Insights and Perspectives on:Trends in making sanitation a sustainable business opportunity

Dr. Suman Chahar is the Chairperson for International Academy of Environmental Sanitation and Public Health- a pioneering NGO in Environmental Sanitation. She has been involved with the Sulabh Sanitation Movement initiated by Hon’ble Padma Bhushan Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder, Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement and has been rendering services in various capacities for over two decades.

Dr. Chahar’s main thrust areas of professionalism include ‘Community health and sanitation management’; ‘Environmental protection and waste management’; ‘Information, education, communication and motivation for poor and the vulnerable in urban and in rural areas on water supply, sanitation, health, hygiene, pollution control and waste management; ‘Women empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming’; ‘Capacity building’; and liberation and rehabilitation of scavenging communities; etc.

Dr. Chahar’s recent initiatives of promoting ‘Open defecation-free towns and villages’ in association with Corporate Sector under the Corporate Social Responsibility and community participation like Hirmitla village in Mewat district, Haryana, as well as developing ‘Scavenger-free towns’ like Alwar and Tonk, Rajasthan, are mile-stones in serving the humanity, particularly the poorest of the poor.

• Kampala and Karamoja in Uganda by design, construction and O&M of toilet complexes for schools and slum areas and bio-energy systems through bio-digesters utlizing human excreta and cowdung in Karamoja in collaboration with UNICEF, Uganda;• Alexandria, Egypt by providing solutions to waste water management systems for villages surrounding Alexandria Carbon Black , Egypt, an unit of Aditya Birla Group under Corporate Social Responsibility;• Africa Social Service Organization, Bamenda, North-west region of Cameroon by Capacity Building in sanitation, health and hygiene sectors.

Dr. Suman’s contributions have been acclaimed by the international organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, NACO, DSACS, PSI, PFI, IFAD, ILO and JBIC and national organizations including Directorate of Family Welfare, Government of Delhi, Ministry of Urban Development, Central Pollution Control Board, Central Social Welfare Board, Rail Tel Corporation Ltd, various Municipal Corporations and Local Bodies, etc. She is a member of the Task Force for rehabilitation of manual scavengers, constituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

To her credit, a number of projects on sanitation, health and hygiene have been completed and in progress and a number of reports/articles which were published in reputed Journals and publications.

Dr. Suman Chahar has completed Doctorate in Waste Management from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.

International Academy of Environmental Sanitation and Public Health was established with a vision of becoming among the world leading Knowledge HUB and facilitating to the promotion of appropriate, affordable, eco-friendly and culturally acceptable sanitation development free from environmental pollution and bring social transformation in achieving the sanitation target set for the millennium development goal among the developing countries.

In the course of last two decades the institute has carried out several important studies on social issues of scavengers’ rehabilitation, their skill development etc. Significant research and consultancy has been undertaken on sustainable technologies like biogas plants, waste water treatment through duckweed, materials and designs of pan and trap of toilet, waste water disposal and treatment, solid waste management, bio-medical waste management etc. Academy has a well-equipped laboratory with testing facilities and also for undertaking research and development.

The outcome of Academy’s research and designing capabilities are tested and validated on ground realities and propagated for the community use through capacity building and training. Accordingly, the Academy has a much larger mandate of acting as an international centre of holistic learning and education on all issues related to promotion of sanitation. The objective is to treat sanitation as a major field of education and study, revitalizing through training programmes and professional studies involving highly qualified sanitation experts, engineers, health professionals, social scientists, ecologists and scholars from all other related fields. The Academy aims at bringing sanitation into a sharp focus of academic activities and research nationally, regionally and globally.

* A report published by Kuick Research titled "India Urban & Industrial Waste to Energy Market", gives a detailed insight on the huge potential to switch disposal-of-waste to energy in India. This sector comes under the overall aegis and facilitation of the Ministry of Non Renewable Energy of India and in recent years has seen a surge of initiatives been undertaken to promote generation of power from urban and industrial waste.

The report also highlights the burgeoning waste energy generation potential in India, and indicates an increased trend towards capturing the latest Waste to Energy technologies, based on setting priorities for waste treatment methods. According to a 2011 data, already the overall installed capacity of grid connected waste power projects surpassed 70 MW by end 2011 in comparison to the 90 MW off grid based power projects.

Some of these promising new technologies include a variety of biochemical and thermo chemical approaches. For instance, organic waste in anaerobic syngas, has the potential where microbes consume food and solid waste to generate methane-rich biogas, and generate electricity. Such technologies have shown promise at newer scales, generating higher investments and resources.

"India Urban & Industrial Waste to Energy Market" report gives an overview of the current scenario of off grid and grid connected waste based power projects, the competitive landscape in this segment and a range of issues affecting such initiatives. It guides the reader on a choice of programmes, with financial incentives being offered under the Government Energy Program for FY'12.

* A controversy over a waste-to-energy plant has seen residents pitted against the government since 2007. When fully operational in a few months, the plant will burn up over 2,000 metric tonnes of the city's solid waste to generate 16MW of power. Ostensibly dealing with two of Delhi's biggest issues, waste disposal and power, the plant found itself in the eye of a storm. Residents from a number of colonies in the plant's vicinity opposed it on the grounds that the plant would expose residents to major health hazards.

The government initially ignored the protests that came from Ishwar Nagar, Noor Nagar, New Friends Colony, Sarita Vihar, Jasola, Sukhdev Vihar and Jamia Nagar. A Batla House resident went on a 48-hour hunger strike in April 2011. more

Released on June 6, 2012, the report titled “What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management”, said a sharp rise in the amount of garbage generated will come from urban residents between now and 2025.

The report estimates that the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) will rise from the current 1.3 billion tones per year to 2.2 billion tonnes per year by 2025, with much of the increase coming in rapidly growing cities in developing countries. more 9/6/12

Incineration, the combustion of organic material such as waste with energy recovery is the most common WtE implementation. All new WtE plants in OECD countries must meet strict emission standards, including those on nitrogen oxides (NO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), heavy metals and dioxins.[2][3] Hence, modern incineration plants are vastly different from the old types, some of which neither recovered energy nor materials. Modern incinerators reduce the volume of the original waste by 95-96 percent, depending upon composition and degree of recovery of materials such as metals from the ash for recycling.

WtE technologies other than incineration

There are a number of other new and emerging technologies that are able to produce energy from waste and other fuels without direct combustion. Many of these technologies have the potential to produce more electric power from the same amount of fuel than would be possible by direct combustion. This is mainly due to the separation of corrosive components (ash) from the converted fuel, thereby allowing higher combustion temperatures in e.g. boilers, gas turbines, internal combustion engines, fuel cells. Some are able to efficiently convert the energy into liquid or gaseous fuels:

"We are completing pending work at the Ukkadam transfer station at the moment. It will be in operational soon," said TK Ponnusamy, Commissioner, Coimbatore Corporation.

According to sources, city mayor is expected to officially launch the Ukkadam transfer station in the coming days. However, the station is yet to get power connection from the electricity board and will initially function with the help of power generators at the site. The corporation has applied for power connection from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and is expected to be granted power within the next two weeks.

The operation of the transfer station was delayed as it was set up at a place with no proper access road. source

Financial assistance is provided by way of interest subsidy for commercial projects

Financial assistance is provided on the capital cost for demonstration projects that are innovative in terms of generation of power from municipal/ industrial wastes

Financial assistance is provided for power generation in STPs

Financial incentives are given to municipal corporations for supplying garbage free of cost at the project site and for providing land

Incentives are given to the state nodal agencies for promotion, co-ordination and monitoring of such projects

Financial assistance is given for carrying out studies on waste to energy projects, covering full costs of such studies

Assistance is given in terms of training courses, workshops and seminars and awareness generation

* Okhla, Delhi Compost Plant is the first in the world that convert solid waste into manure.

The Commissioner said the Okhla Compost Plant is the first unit in the world that converts solid waste into manure. The plant earned carbon credits worth Rs 10 lakh last year, he added. Mehra said though 32 mechanical sweepers were commissioned to clean roads up to 900 kilometres, they could not be put to use due to the bad condition of the roads.

Recently there was uproar about a hospital in Delhi about medical waste management done poorly. Here is an example of a good successful one.

KATHMANDU: Empty saline bottles, cans of soft drinks, old buckets, trolleys, medicine bottles, papers, plastic and used syringes were most visible on Bir Hospital premises one year ago.

But those days are gone now, thanks to an initiative of Healthcare Foundation of Nepal (HECAF). The organistaion has constructed a ‘waste recycling garden’ on Bir Hospital premises using these materials. In a bid to set an example in medical waste management, the hospital has initiated the projects like waste recycling garden, biogas plant and mercury collection house.

HECAF launched the waste management programme in July last year and is going to complete it within six months. Mahesh Nakarmi, HECAF programme director, said they were using waste to produce biogas in the hospital.

Nakarmi informed that HECAF plans to supply biogas to diet section of the hospital after the completion of the project. The hospital has also collected all instruments containing mercury and has preserved them in the mercury house as it is not safe to dispose mercury in the open.

U.S. Marines based at Camp Smith, Hawaii are testing a small scale waste gasification system developed by Terragon Environmental Technologies.

The tests are being conducted in partnership with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and are aimed at reducing a standard 50 gallon (190 litre) bag of waste to a half pint (275 ml) jar of harmless ash.

Dubbed the Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS), Terragon said that the unit is currently undergoing evaluation by U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) as a possible solution to increasing waste volumes at remote Forward Operating Bases (FOB).

Waste generation is not sustainable. We have created a mess that we aren’t sure how to clean up, at least not safely. Future emphasis concerning waste should be to avoid it all together. We can’t avoid waste completely, but we can reduce waste generation to a manageable point for future generations. A change in public attitude and commercial infrastructure are key to waste reduction. For example, because food production is centralized and distributed over long distances, packaging becomes necessary. Buying local can make packaging obsolete. The public effort should be directed towards maximizing recycling rates. Awareness should be raised of what materials can be re-used and it should be underlined that these materials be recycled every time. Recycling should be highly organized at state and municipal levels. It should also be thorough; items like abandoned furniture and electronics should be salvaged as much as possible. It will take a collective effort of this sort to avoid solid waste generation and thus the problems of disposal.

Standing on the shimmering white beach and gazing out at the turquoise blue waters of the Arabian sea, it is hard to believe that a decade ago this international tourist destination was under siege by mounting heaps of garbage.

But Kovalam, about 12 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, capital of southern Kerala state, has been declared a ‘zero waste area’ by a women’s self-help group (SHG) which is engaged in recycling waste into biodegradable carry bags and other items of daily use.

Leena, 35, who heads the SHG - one of several in Kovalam - said she was initially sceptical about the project. "Waste as a resource seemed an impossible concept, but this perception changed once we got going," she told IPS.

"It is amazing what can be turned out of discarded material such as newspapers, jute, coconut shells and used garments," Leena said, pointing to an assortment of items scattered about her living room.

* BEIJING residents will have to pay for what they throw away from next year.

The Beijing municipal authority announced last month that it will introduce a garbage disposalfee from March 1, 2012, the cost dependent on the amount and type of garbage.

While Dante had those who consume too much lying in the filth of the third circle of hell, forBeijing this circle is the seventh. For beyond the city's outer Sixth Ring Road there now lies aring of refuse, comprising more than 400 large garbage dumps of tens of thousands squaremeters each that swallow 18,400 tons of waste every day.

Around 150 million tons of garbage is produced in China every year, accounting for more than30 percent of the world's total and the Ministry of Environmental Protection predicts this willgrow to 200 million tons in 2015.

E-waste (electronic and electrical waste) recycling and reuse (R&R) services include a wide plethora of business types, such as collectors, de-manufacturers, material processors, asset managers, recyclers and refurbishers. Companies involved in the e-waste R&R industry purchase, refurbish, recycle and sell used (working or non-working), obsolete or surplus electronic and electrical (E&E) items – including everything from computers and cell phones to refrigerators and microwaves, as well as E&E components and parts – including CRT tubes, plastics and precious metals).

The e-waste R&R services industry is complex and sometimes could even be referred to as elusive. A simple route for an electronic item on its way to be recycled may entail collection from a garbage collector, triage by a dismantling company and then final processing by an end processor, such as a smelter or refiner. More complex routes may be more difficult to track and E&E items may find themselves undocumented in storage somewhere, overseas illegally or even in landfills. It is not uncommon for an e-waste collector, or even dismantler, to have little or no knowledge regarding the destination of its products. This situation is changing, however, as the regulatory framework for e-waste R&R services becomes more established – at least in some regions –and as the market continues to evolve and grow. http://www.reportlinker.com/p0702921-summary/E-Waste-Recycling-and-Reuse-Services-Worldwide.html

*27.4 million tonnes of waste is produced daily in urban centres of India. Making building components with it !Nearly 27.4 million tonnes of waste is produced daily in urban centres of India. Cities like Ahmedabad produce 2,750 metric tonnes alone. This waste is dumped in open landfill sites, which uses enormous volumes of fossil fuel, creating an altered, polluted, unsafe and unhealthy landscape. Thankfully, India has a well-established tradition of recycling, clearly demonstrated in daily practices and lifestyle. Food and many other objects, are given added value for their multiple uses and diverse applications even after its primary lifecycle. Can building industry not learn from these applications? An activity centre at Rama Pir Tekra, Vadaj has been one such attempt in recycling waste into building materials. This multipurpose activity centre serves as an informal school and also as vocational training centre and activity workshop for manufacture of craft-based products by women and elderly during the day. The campus also includes a dormitory, an administrative unit and an all-religion meditation unit. A crèche has been added later to look after young children when their parents are away earning wages. The community centre, apart from being an interactive place during festivities, is a health centre and gym on regular days.http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_yatin-pandya-recycling-for-cheap-building-components_1621656*Electronic Waste Recyclingfor Developing EconomiesThis article reviews the progress of electronic waste recycling around the world and emphasises the need to give more economic importance to this sector in the developing nations. Two cases are considered for determining a model of recycling under the present constraints. These alternative models can provide a basic foundation for laying out the respective roles of producers and consumers for economic recycling of this waste.Conclusion A new e-waste directive to come into force by 2012 calls for the registration of all firms dealing with e-waste from collection, dismantling, processing and recyclingirrespective of their being in the formal and informal sectors. The strategies mentionedabove may or may not completely be adhered to depending upon the economicbenefits and costs involved in implementation.The benefits from recycling may be overshadowed by the costs of running the sector and expecting every agent to cooperate at least on legal grounds. Yet the long-term solution for the prevention of the hazards now being faced by the developingcountries calls for an institutionalisationof the market on the lines of some south-east Asian economies that havealready done so. An alternative option as proposed by researchers at DeutscheGesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit(GTZ) and Adelphi is the integrationof the informal and formal sectors in e-waste recycling such that the business can take advantage of the cheap labour intensityof the informal sector and the capital intensity of the formal sector. Whatever the path chosen, present legislation needs... http://www.epw.in/epw/uploads/articles/16822.pdf*E-Waste Market Grew Nearly 10% in 2010; Growth Expected Through Decade

Waste Connections, announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a $400 million increase to its ongoing common stock repurchase program, increasing the total authorized amount the Company may repurchase from $800 million to $1.2 billion. www.wasteconnections.com.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is launching a campaign to clean up public places in the city, streamline solid waste management, and improve the functioning of centralised garbage treatment plant at Vilappilsala.

The standing committee on health and sanitation is meeting on Monday to discuss details of the scheme. The meeting will discuss methods to ease the pressure on the garbage plant that is at the centre of a row over environmental problems.

The garbage transported to Vilappilsala would be restricted to a maximum of 100 tonnes daily and strict measures would be taken to ensure this, Mayor K. Chandrika told The Hindu.

The committee would discuss a decentralised, environmentally-sustainable system of garbage disposal using alternative technology.

Promoting domestic treatment of solid waste was one of the proposals on the anvil.

Chennai Corporation Solid Waste Management Department:

Headed by a Superintendent Engineer the department looks after removal of solid waster which is a major responsibility of the Corporation. Everyday 3200 MT of garbage is collected and remove from the city. Night conservancy is being carried out in all important roads and commercial areas of the city. Door to door collection of garbage in all zones except zone VI, VIII & X have been introduced from May 2003. Recently the Corporation has initiated the project to process Municipal Solid Waste into composed by Mechanical composting.

Accelerated Programme on Energy Recovery from Urban Wastes – Sanction for the Year 2005-06 - Regarding.

Sir,

I am directed to convey the sanction of the Government of India for the implementation of ‘Accelerated Programme on Energy Recovery from Urban Wastes’ during the year 2005-2006. The scheme provides for financial assistance for setting up of projects for recovery of energy from urban wastes and incentives to State Nodal Agencies. The scheme also provides for grants-in-aid for organizing seminars, workshops, training courses, etc. on the subject of energy from urban wastes. The details of this programme are given below:

1.1 The expenditure on this scheme will be met from the provisions under Demand No. 65 for 2005-06, as per the following details:

Major Head 2810

60.103

Energy from Urban and Agricultural Waste (Minor Head)

01

Energy from Urban/ Municipal Waste

01.00.31

Grants-in-aid

Rs. 100 lakh

01.00.33

Subsidies

Rs. 700 lakh

2. OBJECTIVES

2.1 The main objectives of the proposed National Programme on Energy Recovery from Urban Wastes are as follows:

To accelerate the promotion of setting up of projects for recovery of energy from urban wastes;

To create conducive conditions and environment, with fiscal and financial regime, to develop, demonstrate and disseminate utilisation of wastes for recovery of energy; and

To harness the available potential of MSW-to-energy by the year 2017.

3. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS

3.1 The Scheme shall be implemented by Municipal Corporations, other Urban Local Bodies, Govt. Institutions and Private Developers having technical and managerial capabilities for implementing such projects. In cases where debt financing is involved, IREDA, financial institutions, or commercial banks shall forward the proposals to MNRE, along with their Appraisal Notes and all the statutory clearances. An advance copy of the proposal may be sent to MNRE directly. In case of the self-financed projects, requests accompanied with Detailed Project Reports and all the statutory clearances will need to be sent to MNRE before the commencement of execution work for the project.

4. DETAILS OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

4.1 Financial Assistance (FA) to be provided for projects based on different technologies and wastes will be as given below

Commercial projects for MSW in fast track mode

4.2Projectsfor power generation from MSW through a two-stage process involving production of RDF by processing of MSW and it’s combustion for generation of power are proposed to be taken up in a fast track mode. The strategy includes development of projects for specific cities and inviting bids from project developers and entrepreneurs for setting up these projects on Public Private Partnership basis. The developers will be selected on the basis of a bid for minimum amount of financial assistance (or ‘viability gap’ funding) within an overall ceiling of Rs 1.50 crore per MW. Thus, the financial assistance to be provided for each project will be determined through a process of competitive bidding after preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR). State Nodal Agencies, Municipal Corporations or other professional organizations such as IL&FS, IREDA, HUDCO, TCOs etc, will carry out the project development and bidding through a transparent tendering process.

Projects based on high rate biomethanation technology

4.3Financial assistance of Rs. 2.0 crore / MW will be provided for projects based on power generation from MSW through high rate biomethanation technology.

Demonstration projects for power generation from MSW through new technologies

4.4With the objective of developing indigenous capabilities as well as for demonstration of various new and emerging technologies, financial assistance will be provided to the extent of 50% of the project cost, subject to a maximum of Rs. 3.0 crore / MW for setting up demonstration projects based on gasification / pyrolysis and plasma arc technologies.

Power generation at sewage treatment plants

4.5 Financial assistance @ 40% of the project cost subject to a maximum of Rs 2.0 crore/MW shall be provided for projects for generation of power from biogas being produced at Sewage Treatment Plants. Project cost will include the cost of engine-genset, H2S removal plant and other related equipment.

Power generation from other urban wastes

4.6 Financial assistance @ 50% of project cost subject to upper limit of Rs. 3.0 crore / MW shall be provided for setting up projects based on biomethanation technology for power generation from cattle dung, vegetable market and slaughterhouse wastes generated in the urban areas. For cattle dung based projects, eligible project capacity would be 250 kW and above. In case of projects for generation of only biogas for thermal application, the FA will be limited to Rs. 1.0 crore / MWeq (i.e. biogas production of 12000 cu.m / day).

Other Provisions

4.7 Any waste of renewable nature or biomass can be mixed to the extent of 25% with MSW.

4.8Financial assistance provided for any single project will be limited to Rs 8.0 crore for projects in different categories covered under paras 4.2 to 4.6.

4.9Financial assistance of 20% higher than those specified for different categories of projects will be provided for projects in North Eastern Region and Special Category States, namely, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Sikkim and Uttranchal.

5. PROMOTIONAL INCENTIVES

Project Development Assistance

5.1 The programme for fast track promotion of projects for power generation from MSW involves development of a project document for specific cities for determining the capital subsidy required as viability gap funding through a process of competitive bidding. It is expected that State Nodal Agencies, HUDCO, IREDA, IL&FS, TCOs etc, will develop the projects with the help of consultants, as necessary, for the Municipal Corporations and Urban Local Bodies. Project Development Assistance of Rs 10 lakh per project can be provided for this activity involving the following:

�Analysis of MSW and assessment of quantity;

�Identification of project site;

�Preparation of MSW collection and transportation plan

�Finalisation of tie-up with the ULBs for land lease and supply of waste;

�Finalisation of power purchase agreement;

�Development of a bankable project with Feasibility Report and the DPR;

�Preparation of the bid document for inviting bids for viability gap funding;

�Firming up of means of project finance;

�Assistance in entire process of bidding;

�Obtaining all statutory clearances for the projects; and

�Providing assistance and supervision during execution and commissioning.

In case of other projects, financial assistance of 50% of the cost of preparation of Detailed Project Reports subject to a maximum of Rs 1.00 lakh per project will be provided. This assistance will be released at the time of sanction of financial assistance for the project.

Incentive to State Nodal Agencies

5.2An incentive of 1% of the MNRE’ financial assistance with an upper limit of Rs. 5.00 lakh per project, shall be payable to the State Nodal Agencies (SNA) to facilitate the development and implementation of the projects and monitoring for a period of one year after commissioning. This will be restricted to Rs. 2.0 lakh per project in case SNA also undertakes the project development work.

Financial Assistance for training and awareness creation

5.3 Financial assistance may be provided upto a maximum of Rs 3.00 lakh per event for organisation of training courses, business meets, seminars, workshops and awareness raising activities on case-to-case basis.

6.RELEASE OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

6.1The financial assistance will be released by the Ministry in two installments as follows:

i.First installment of 50% of eligible subsidy to the FI (or the Lead FI) lending for the projects for onward release to the developer as contribution towards project equity after release of the first installment of loan;

ii.Balance 50% of the eligible subsidy after successful commissioning of the project as per DPR norms and operation of the project for three months, including at least 72 hours continuous operation at a minimum of 80% of the rated capacity.

6.2In case of the projects set up by the developers through their own resources, financial assistance would be released directly to the developers after successful commissioning of the projects.

7. MONITORING MECHANISM

7.1 The concerned State Nodal Agencies will closely monitor the execution of the projects and provide guidance for their timely completion and submit monthly progress reports to MNRE. MNRE may also monitor the progress of implementation of projects as well as their performance through a Monitoring Committee consisting of representatives from the MNRE, financial institution(s)/banks and State Nodal Agencies.

7.2 As regards the monitoring of performance of projects, including the limit of utilisation of other wastes of renewable nature and biomass, MNRE may also engage the services of independent third party entities.

8. OTHER SUPPORT MEASURES

Research & Development:

8.1Financial support will be provided for R&D projects on cost sharing basis in accordance with the R&D Policy of the MNRE. Financial support may also be provided for projects involving Applied R&D and Studies on resource assessment, technology up-gradation and performance evaluation. This will be governed by the procedures / guidelines being issued by the R&D Division of MNRE separately.

9. In case of any ambiguity in interpretation of provisions of this scheme, the decision of the MNRE shall be final.

10. Hon’ble Supreme Court held a hearing on May 6, 2005 on a Writ Petition No. 888/1996 and ordered, inter-alia, that till the position is clear the Government would not sanction any further subsidies for projects based on Municipal Solid Wastes. Accordingly, no subsidy will be sanctioned for such projects until further orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court in this regard.

11. This issues with the approval of competent authority and concurrence of IFD vide their diary No. IFD/SAN/106/165/2005-06 dated 22.07.2005.

Yours faithfully

(V.K.JAIN)

Principal Scientific Officer

Block No. 14, CGO complex

Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003

Accelerated Programme on Energy Recovery from Urban Wastes – sanction for the year 2005-06 - regarding.

Sir,

I am directed to convey the sanction of the Govt. of India for incorporating modifications in Para 4.6 of the Scheme sanctioned vide letter of even No., dated 25.07.2005 on the above mentioned subject. The revised para 4.6 of the scheme may be read as follows:

“Power generation from other urban wastes

4.6 Financial assistance @ 50% of project cost subject to upper limit of Rs.3.0 crore /MW shall be provided for setting up projects based on biomethanation technology for power generation from cattle dung, vegetable market wastes, slaughterhouse wastes, night-soil and any other urban waste generated in the urban areas as defined by the Registrar General of India. In case of projects for generation of only biogas for thermal application, the Financial Assistance will be limited to Rs.1.0 crore / MWeq (i.e. biogas production of 12000 cu.m/day).”

2. This issues with the approval of competent authority and concurrence of IFD vide their diary No. IFD/SAN/106/770/2005-06 dated 19.01.2006.

Yours faithfully,

(V.K.JAIN)

Principal Scientific Officer

Accelerated Programme on Energy Recovery from Urban Wastes – Modification for the Year 2006-07 – Regarding.

Sir,

I am directed to convey the sanction of the Govt. of India for incorporating modification in Para 5.1 of the Scheme sanctioned vide letter of even No., dated 25.07.2005 on the above mentioned subject. The last sentence “This assistance will be released at the time of sanction of financial assistance for the project.” of para 5.1 of the scheme shall be replaced by the following:

“ Project Development Assistance shall be sanctioned after signing of MOU between Urban Local Body concerned and the Organization engaged for carrying out the project development work. An amount of 50% of the eligible financial assistance, Rs.5.00 lakh out of Rs.10.00 lakh per project, can be released after preparation of Tender Document for inviting bids for viability gap funding. Balance of 50% of project development assistance will be released along with the sanction of financial assistance for the project.”

2. This issues with the approval of competent authority and concurrence of IFD vide their Diary No. IFD/SAN/107/105/2006-07 dated 14/06/2006.

Note: The above list is as per the information available in the Ministry. Many of the suppliers listed, however, have not demonstrated their technologies yet and are only looking for such an opportunity. The implementing agencies / beneficiaries, therefore, need to ascertain about their experience/ ability in demonstrating the technologies before finalizing the implementation of projects.

Gasification

Zanders Engineers Limited

Mohali

Has a collaborative gasification technology to process multiple feedstocks including MSW for power

UPL Environmental Engineers Pvt Ltd

Vadodara

Advanced gasification technology with destruction efficiency of 99.9% and emissions well below thresholds.

Krishan

Chairman, MPPL Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd.

Expertise Area:Biomass power generation

Mr. Krishan, with over 30 years experience in the energy sector, has a deep commitment towards promotion of renewable energy and overall sustainable development of rural communities, which is demonstrated by his involvement with various organizations promoting the same, such as the National Executive Council of Rural Business Hub and the National Executive Council for Renewable Energy of CII and FICCI.

Mr. Krishan also consults on energy policy for a variety of public/private consortiums and to large entities such as the Indian government and the World Bank. He has over three decades experience in the Energy sector primarily in Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution.

MPPL Renewable Energy is one of the pioneering players in the Biomass power generation arena and has been responsible for the promotion of renewable energy especially in the rural areas.

MPPL’s 4.5 MW Rankine cycle power-generation plant in Karnataka has become the first in the world to obtain the Gold Standard Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism, drawing international accolades.

The company is working on the construction of 18 biomass power plants, each with a capacity of 6.7 MW, in Punjab.

Barathi

CEO, Carbon Clean Solutions

Expertise Area:Agricultural Biotechnology, Biomass Production

Dr. Barathi, an Agricultural Scientist, has been instrumental in developing the high yielding, fast growing Beema Bamboo which is popular across the country. He has over three decades of expertise in the field of Agricultural Biotechnology and serves on the Board of several Committees on Energy Plantation.

Insights and Perspectives on:Innovative methods to increase biomass yields for power production

Dr. Barathi is an Agriculture Scientist who has worked for over 30 years in agriculture biotechnology and has developed fast growing, high biomass yielding bamboo known as “Beema Bamboo”. Ten years of research in propagating and cultivating Beema Bamboo by tissue Culture led to the development of “Beema Bamboo based Energy Plantation” for the production of low cost biomass as substitute for coal.

Dr. Barathi is the Founder Director of Growmore Biotech and currently “Member” in the Planning Commission Sub-Group on “Dedicated Energy Plantation”, Govt. of India and “Member” in the Executive Committee (EC) of SSS NIRE, Govt. of India. He is also a Committee Member for the Bamboo development in the state level – Tamil Nadu & Gujarat.

Growmore Biotech is the “Technology Partner” to National Mission on Bamboo Applications, India. Dr. Barathi is the “Bamboo Consultant” for INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan), China in the area of propagation and cultivation.

Dr. Barathi is an Agriculture Scientist and has been involved in the Agricultural Biotechnology sector for over 30 years.

Growmore Bio-tech Ltd. has been in existence for the past 10 years and provides high quality plants to farmers, industries and Government departments in India as well as exports them to several countries, such as Japan, Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, Miami, Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, etc.

The Company maintains stringent quality standards and coupled with the latest research findings in the technology can lay claims to superior cloned plants with lowest level of rejection.

The laboratory at Growmore has an annual capacity to produce over 10 million tissue cultured plants depending on the plant species under production. The growing room at Growmore has Infrastructure to grow 2-3 Million plants at any given time.

The lab has been accredited by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) for exporting tissue culture plants free of media from India.

Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd)

Director, Bermaco Energy Systems Ltd

Expertise Area:Biomass power production

Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is the MD of Bermaco Green Energy Systems Ltd and is responsible for the day to functioning of the JV company which is implementing biomass based IPP. He manages all project related activities including planning, execution, reporting structure, govt liasion, regulatory and legal compliances, P&L of the company, budgets and expenses, manpower utilisation & resource allocation, besides all activities related to the biomass projects like interactions at the Ministry level at central and state govts, etc.

Currently the Managing Director of PTC Bermaco Green Energy Systems Limited (a JV company between PTC & Bermaco), Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) took premature retirement from Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers. He had an impressive, fruitful, well disciplined and professionally competent career with the Armed Forces for fourteen and a half years. With powerful oratory and verbal abilities, he has always been fit to be a leader and is managing the biomass energy portfolio of Bermaco Energy Systems Limited. He is known for his analytical, methodological and rational approach, which he honed during his service in the Army.

His experience during his tenure in the India Army includes handling, planning & procurement of various types of tools & spares for specialized military equipment with the entire chain of supply chain management. As a material control officer (MCO), he and his team worked on the sourcing for all kinds of spares for the overhaul of various hi-tech equipments which include tanks like T-72 & T-90, various types of artillery guns, heavy construction equipments like dozers, JCBs etc. He was also involved in indigenization of spares & material management for complete overhaul for a planned target of five years with budgetary presentations to the highest echelons of the Army / MoD.

He was also responsible in establishing a nuclear equipment calibration lab for the Indian Army in close coordination with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, a first of its kind for the defence forces.

His skills in vendor handling and project development were tested during this period, and this period made him capable of managing and completing any project even in the harshest conditions, on time. These qualities are proving to be a boon for the Bermaco Group, wherein he has been instrumental is managing the biomass projects and project management team, besides the EPC subsidiary of the company.

Monish Ahuja has set up an in-house O&M team for the O&M of biomass projects and training of new personals which is done on site ( on the job training). Today Bermaco group is offering O&M services for other IPP’s in the Indian market.

Besides, for the first time in India, a unique biomass fuel management start up company (a 100% owned subsdiary of Bermaco group) has been formed and this company is in a scientific manner integrating supply chain management with local understanding to handle agriculture reside.

On the academic & technical proficiency, Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune where he graduated with a B.Sc in 1994. In service he opted for B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering and graduated in May 2002. Further a post graduate course in Nuclear Technology from the renowned Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai passing out in 2006. He also underwent Training in ADP (SAP).

Contribution in prominent events:RENERGY 2012About the Company:

Bermaco Energy Ltd has an engineering background, going back to the 1960s when the group commenced operations in the form of manufacturing / fabrication setup, initially operating from Faridabad and later on from Chennai and finally settling down in Mumbai. The Product range for manufacturing activities included – Tractor Parts, Industrial Valves, Boiler economizer, Water-wall, finned tubes bending, Heat Exchanger units, Piping fabrication and erection, Furniture.

The company’s dedicated venture in power sector started in 1996. BESL, in consortium arrangement with ETA of Dubai, took over the 10MW paddy straw based power plant at Jhalkheri, Punjab from M/S PSEB under an O&M performance contract. This was the first such project to be set up in India under Danish technology in 1994 but could not be operated due to various technical and fuel logistical problems. BESL successfully re-commissioned the project in the year 2001-02. The role of BESL in development of the PPP model and fuel logistics was instrumental for re-commissioning of the project. The project is now commercially operating at full capacity.

The company is in a pursuit of setting up biomass power plants all over the country.

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Nitant Mate

Head R&D, Kirloskar Integrated Technologies Limited.

Dr. Nitant Mate joined Kirloskar Integrated Technologies Ltd in 2006 and is currently the head of the Bioenergy business. His areas of work include bio-fuels such as biogas, bio-diesel and vegetable oil based energy solutions, solar and wind energy technologies and other standalone as well as hybrid sustainable solutions for decentralized energy.

Dr. Nitant Mate is Head of Research & Development as well as Project Execution in Bioenergy Business at Kirloskar Integrated Technologies Limited. He works on decentralized sustainable energy solutions that are ecologically friendly, economically viable, and socially acceptable. His areas of focus include biogas, vegetable oil, biodiesel, solar, wind, etc.

Nitant has contributed in developing applications of solar energy and other renewable technologies in health sector. WHO, UNICEF, The World Bank, PATH, and European Commission are among a few of the clients for whom he has undertaken assignments. He has had extensive interactions with professionals from the United States, Europe, Africa and some Asian countries. He has served on committees for the Government of India, Confederation of Indian Industries, University of Pune, etc., is an accredited Mentor for the entrepreneurship programs of the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust, and holds Honorary Professorship at the Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai. He has several publications and patent to his credit.

Nitant is a mechanical engineer and a designer of special purpose machines; and he has also undertaken fundamental research in materials processing, thin and thick film deposition technologies, semiconductors processing, engine development and testing, etc.

About the Company:

Kirloskar Integrated Technologies Ltd (KITL) is a part of reputed Kirloskar Group; one of India’s premier industrial and engineering conglomerates. KITL is committed to contribute to the society by implementing green technology solutions to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

KITL’s solutions not only address waste disposal issues but also generate substantial value addition. With an exhaustive research background in biomass to energy processes and filed several patents in these areas, KITL offers distributed sustainable solutions in green technologies & renewable energy on turnkey basis.

Founder & CEO, Ventana Cleantech

Amit Tandon, Founder-CEO of Ventana Cleantech, is an entrepreneur with over 14 years of professional experience in clean technology, renewable energy and semiconductors. Amit works on developing & scaling a disruptive technology for catalytic conversion of waste plastics into lighter petroleum fuels.

Hydrocarbon CatcrackerTM is a robust catalytic conversion technology which uses the company’s proprietary developed HyCatalystTM to convert mixed waste plastics into lighter petroleum fuel which may be refined to obtain diesel & other industrial fuels.

The company has successfully commissioned a pilot based on the technology and is currently executing the 3rd generation of process scale-up to establish a continuous production pilot plant. Commercial rollout is slated for 2013.

The technology generates HyFuelTM -- a low viscosity, high calorific value, hydrocarbon rich fuel having specific gravity of 0.75 - 0.80. HyFuelTM diesel has been validated by independent laboratories to be compliant with most ASTM parameters for low-sulphur diesel and can possibly be refined to automotive grade fuel.

While competing technologies generate ‘synthetic crude’ which is heavy, viscous & corrosive and requires significant post-processing to be converted to useful fuel fuels, HyFuelTM diesel has low viscosity (3-4 cst), flows easily and is non-corrosive because of multiple tiered de-contamination interventions implemented in the technology.

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Joseph Vimal Arulappan

Co-founder and CEO, Nordic Cleantech Pvt.Ltd

Mr. Joseph, as the CEO & Co-founder of Nordic Cleantech Pvt. Ltd., is involved in various areas that will assist cleantech companies to expand their market base in India, including business development, strategy consulting, technology transfer management, marketing, sales, and in providing statistical & analytical expertise among others. He has diverse marketing experience and has conducted extensive market research and business intelligence on emerging markets such as India and China.

Mr. Joseph is the founder at Indsight Business Consulting, a clean technology transfer firm based in Stockholm, Sweden. He is also the Co-Founder and CEO at Nordic Cleantech Pvt.Ltd, based in Chennai, which, in partnership with its technology partners from Nordics, offers ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle)-based module sized power plants and biogas technology based on innovative prefabricated modules for construction.

Joseph has a great interest in biogas-based technologies, special industrial feedstocks for biogas generation and upgrading solutions for CBG.

Joseph also consults for Indian clean energy companies for expanding and setting up business in high growth European markets like Poland and Czech Republic. He has previously worked in business development and marketing positions at Ericsson AB and Bonnier Group based in Sweden.

Mr. Joseph has Masters in ICT Entrepreneurship from Royal Institute of technology, Sweden and Global Entrepreneurial leadership from Stanford University.

About the Company:

Nordic Cleantech Pvt. Ltd. is a clean technology transfer and consulting company based in Chennai, India, and is the sister company of Indsight consulting based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company offers technology transfer services and strategic consulting for cleantech enterprises from Nordic countries to establish themselves in Indian markets.

Nordic Cleantech Pvt. Ltd. supports Cleantech enterprises during the of Technology Transfer process. Technology transfer management involves in sharing the know-how with local partners/customers, customizing the solutions to local conditions and coordinating the process from initial negotiation to successful implementation.

Nordic Cleantech is backed by professionals who have experience of working in areas of business development, market research and clean energy sectors and has its presence both in India and Nordics.

5 Comments

The increasing industrialization, urbanization and changes in the pattern of life, which accompany the process of economic growth, give rise to generation of increasing quantities of wastes leading to increased threats to the environment. In recent years, technologies have been developed that not only help in generating substantial quantity of decentralized energy but also in reducing the quantity of waste for its safe disposal.

The Ministry is promoting all the Technology Options available for setting up projects for recovery of energy from urban wastes. In developed countries, environmental concerns rather than energy recovery is the prime motivator for waste-to-energy facilities, which help in treating and disposing of wastes. Energy in the form of biogas, heat or power is seen as a bonus, which improves the viability of such projects. While incineration and biomethanation are the most common technologies, pyrolysis and gasification are also emerging as preferred options. A common feature in most developed countries is that the entire waste management system is being handled as a profitable venture by private industry or non-government organizations with tipping fee for treatment of waste being one of the major revenue streams. The major Advantages for adopting technologies for recovery of energy from urban wastes is to reduce the quantity of waste and net reduction in environmental pollution, besides generation of substantial quantity of energy.

Even as the digital revolution gains pace, the ensuing by-product, continues to get a short shrift in the country. It is exactly this mess that Attero Recyclingaims to clean up.

The five-year old Noida-based startup, founded by brothers Rohan and Nitin Gupta, handles almost 500 tonnes of e-waste every month. Attero has developed its own proprietory technology that extracts precious metals, including, copper, lead and gold, and also recycles hazardous materials emanating from electrical appliances.

"It is a billion-dollar market in India, and growing at 25% yearon-year. Plus, we also get carbon credit approvals for re-cycling the waste," Nitin Gupta, chief executive, Attero, pointed out. The company has set up an automated and integrated electrical and electronic waste recycling plant in Roorkee, and currently services 100 cities across 22 states in the country.

"There was no infrastructure in India to handle e-waste. Some precious metals would be extracted using very crude methods, before the entire device was dumped in some scrapyard. I don't think anyone knew the opportunities that existed," Gupta said.

Inter-national Finance Corp, the investment arm of the World Bank has also stepped in as an investor. "We are considering going for our next round of funding around later this year, or early 2013," Gupta revealed. But it has not been smooth sailing.